Automobile lock means



May 14, 1929. J. 5. LACH AUTOMOBILE LOCK MEANS Filed Aug. 4, 1926 .2 Sheets-Sheet l Patented May 14, 192 9.

* UNITED-o STATES PAT NT ,o1=1;-1cE-.-

JOSEPH s. \L'ACH, or BRIDGEZPORT, CONNECTICUT, AssiGNonro THE YALE arowivn' MANUFACTURING COMBALNY, ortstraivfronn, CONNECTICUT.

'AUtr'oMoBILn LOCK MEANS.

a licatio filed August 4, ,1926. semi No. 127,085.

. This invention relates to improvements in locking means for automobiles-and more par-M ticularly to means forlociiing the transmission control mechanism, one object of the invcntion being to providesimple and efficient means to lock the shift lever by means of whichthe gear shift blocks are controlled.

A further object is to provide a tubular armor-for a. lock-controlled bolt, said armor 7 the device whichis cooperable with the shiftlever for locking the same; Figure 3 is a view showing the device of Figure2 in end elevation and connection of theshift lever therewith; r i

Figure 4 is a sectional view, partly in ele- .vatiou, showing the armor tube mounting and the lock-controlled'bolt;

Figure 5 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section showing the cooperation of the bolt with the shift lever locking device, and e 1 Figures 6' and 7 are views illustrating a modification. I a

The transmission casing of an automobile is indicated at 1 andthe transmission gearing (not shown) may be of any approved con.

struction and arrangement in which shiftable gears and clutch means are employed. The casing .1 has mounted thereon, a dome casing or housing member 2 and this dome provides a mounting at 3 for a shift lever4 In the construction shown in Figure 1, the shift lever is assembled in the casing dome by first passing the lower portion of said lever clownwardly into the dome, and said lever may be provided with a guard 5 which is movable on the upper portion of the dome, and another guard 6 may be carried by the lever and bear against the inner face of the dome around the opening through which the lever passes. 7

are provided in the casing or housing memher, for: the accommodation of sliding shift blocks or members having arms 9 for c'ooperatlon with theshiftable members of the trans-J recessed as at 10 to receive thelower end portion '11 of the shift lever 4.

Above the horizontal plane of the blocks and their supports, a horizontal guideway 12 'open' at both ends "is provided in: the

casing nember .2 for the accommodation of the bar 13 of a shiftlever locking device 14.

This lever locking device, 14 alsov includes a rectangular frame 15 at the inner end of the bar13 and preferably disposed in a plane somewhat below that of the axis of said bar. Supporting ledges 12 may be provided in the casing member for this frame. Within the elongated opening 16.0f the frame 15, an enlargement 1-7 on the lever 4is movable to permit the end portion 11 of said lever to be shifted into the recess-10 of one or another of the shift blocksor members 8, but the opening insaid frame is so proportioned that the;

lever 4 cannot be operated to shift either of the blocks if thclocking device 14 be locked against movement. The means for locking the device 14 consists of a bolt 18 which is movable through suitable'holcsin thewall of the casing member 2 andthe lower wall" of .the guideway l2and through a hole 19' (preferably having beveled walls) which extendsvtransversely throughmthe bar 13, as-

To insure retention of;

shown in Figure 1 the enlargement 17 of the shift lever inrthe opening of the frame15, a plate or bar'20 is secured toathe forward bar of the frame and caused. to pro1ect over said opening,-;said

plate-or bar 20 being secured to the frame by means of screwsQl passing upwardly through the ,frame bar and entering said bar 20, as

shown in Figure 3.-

Shie' In Figure 6ofthe drawings,-'a construction' is shown inwh'ich the shift lever is assembled by inserting 1t lnto-the vcasing member from below instead of inserting it from above as in the construction shown in Figure 1, and in the arrangement shown in Figure 6, the leverlocking device 14 is somewhat modified, as

shown in plan in Figure 7 The device 14 comprises a bar 13 having a bolt hole 19 and provided at its inner end with a cross bar22 disposed in a plane below that of the axis of the bar 13, and a U-shaped yoke 23, the free ends of the arms ofwhich-are secured, by means of upwardly projecting screws 24, to

the end portions of the cross bar 22. A frame is thus formed to receive the enlargementl? The shift lever will be lever being retained in place by means of a stitutes an armor'therefor;

spring 26 bearing at one end against the'ball and at the other end against a shoulder 27 within the casing member. When the lever shall have been applied as above explained, the yoke 23 may be secured to the cross bar 22, so that the enlargement 17 on the shift lever will be disposed in a frame formed by the cross bar 22and yoke 23 at the inner end a of the sliding. bar 13*.

The bolt 18 whereby the device 1 1 (14 may be locked against -1110VB1"Q6I113' may be controlled by key controlled mechanism secured on the instrument-board 26 of the car. The casing of the key controlled bolt operating mechanism is shown at 27 but it is not deemed necessary in this case to show and specifically describe such mechanism. Suffice it to say that said mechanism may be such as shown and described in my copending application Serial No. 127,083 filed simultaneously herewith. Between the casing 27 and the transmission casingi 2, a. hardened steel tube 28 encloses the bolt 18'and consuch construction, the tube 28 with the bracket 31 may be disconnected from the casing member 2 and moved to the dotted line position shown inFigure'l, when the bolt 18 is in retracted position as shown in Figure 4.

It is apparent that when the bolt 18 is projected into locking relation to the bar 13 of the locking device 14 (or 14 as shown in Figure 1 (or-FigureG), the shiftlever 4 will be eflectually locked and manipulation of the gear shift blocks will be impossible. On the other hand, when thebolt 18 is in retracted position (Figure 1), the device 14 (149) may move" freely when the shift lever is manipu- The upper end lated and the normal operation of the shift lever willbe permitted.

2. The combination with the shift lever of transmission control means and a transmission casing member, of a device movable with said lever and comprlsmg a sliding bar pro- .vided at one end with an elongated frame,

the latter forming an elongated opening receiving the lever, a bar secured to said frame and overlying'a portion of said opening and a part of the lever, and a key controlled bolt to enter the casing member and cooperate with said device to lock the'same to lock the lever.

3. The combination with a shift lever and a transmission easing member, of a device disposed in the casing member and movable with said lever, said devicecomprising a bar and a frame integral with one end of said bar, said bar having a diametrical bolt hole, means for supporting and guiding said bar and frame, and a key controlled bolt to enter vertically alined openings in said casing memher and thebolt hole in said bar, whereby said device will be locked to lock the shift lever.

4. The combination with a transmission casing, and a shift lever mounted therein, of

a locking device for said lever mounted in the transmission casing and movable with said lover, a key-controlled bolt for locking said locking device, a casing for key controlledmeans, an armored tube throughwhich said bolt passes, said tube beingv pivotally connected at its upper end with said lastmentioned casing, a bracket receiving the lower end of said tube and secured thereto, said bracket having a hole for the passage of said bolt, and means removably securing said bracket to the transmission casing.

In testimony whereof, I have signed thisspecification.

JOSEPH s. LAGH. 

